


A Way of Life

by Theta-Signa (cathat77)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Gen, Gen Fic, M/M, Spoilers, misfits - Freeform, preslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-24
Updated: 2012-08-24
Packaged: 2017-11-12 18:56:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/494559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cathat77/pseuds/Theta-Signa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Stiles is in younger, he goes on a vacation. While taking pictures, he gets caught out in a freak thunderstorm. II Or where Stiles is immortal and dies several times without realizing it and one time when he dies and does. (Also, the Misfits AU that no one wanted or asked for, but that I wrote anyway.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Way of Life

1.

The summer before Stiles starts freshman year, he goes to London with his dad. They visit all the museums that they can (with Stiles tugging his dad to his feet several times) and the tourist traps. Dad’s sitting in a pub while Stiles takes pictures of some of the boats on the Thames when storm clouds blow in. The sky turns an ominous black. When hail the size of dogs pours down on Stiles’s head, he runs for cover. He’s trying to cram himself into a telephone booth (no one ever said Stiles had smart ideas when panicking) when lightning dances through him. He feels like he’s on fire.

He wakes up thirty minutes later dazed and confused. He’s still slumped against the phone booth and shakes himself. His shoes and clothes are fried, but somehow, he’s alive.

He never questions what happens. In fact, he goes to the hotel, throws away his tattered clothes and shoes, and forgets it ever happened. And after Scott becomes a werewolf (a _real_ werewolf), he has other things to worry about.

2.

Stiles has been haunting the hallway outside of Lydia’s hospital room for the better part of the weekend. She’s been asleep (or comatose or traumatized, whichever fits better). He grabs food mostly from the vending machines, usually candy or animal crackers. It’s not really food, but he can’t risk the chance that she’ll wake up without him there (not that she’d really want him there, but he wants to see if she’s okay).

Her perfect strawberry blonde hair is spread out over her pillow, and her breaths are even. But, she won’t wake up. (Stiles knows that if he were in her place, he wouldn’t either if he had the choice.)

He wants to talk to her. To say sorry. To explain everything. She doesn’t deserve this.

She certainly didn’t deserve to be mauled.

He doesn’t get to though for two reasons:

1)      His dad yells at him. It makes a weirdly hot flush run up his neck, and he goes home in shame.

2)      A vending machine falls on him.

The vending machine eats his money without fulfilling its end of the deal, and Stiles is angry. Almost unreasonably so. He shakes it. He’s going to get that Reese’s Pieces if it kills him. Which is exactly when it falls on him.

Stiles wakes up 5 minutes later, embarrassed and underneath the vending machine. He’s lucky because no one’s found him like this, but at the same time, he’s unlucky because no one’s found him like this. His skinny arms shake when he lifts it off him. But, he somehow manages to push it up and slide his legs out. He squeezes the rest of his body out, and the vending machine lands on the floor with a thud. He sneaks a look to check whether anyone sees him then runs away.

He doesn’t come back to the hospital out of fear and shame.

And, he never finds out what happens to the vending machine.

3.

Despite Scott’s furry affliction, Stiles rarely gets hurt. He knows he could have been mauled by the Alpha (like Lydia) or tortured (like Derek) or shot (like Derek). But, it’s only when the Kanima comes onto the scene when werewolves actually start going at him specifically to hurt him. He wakes up in weird places (like dumpsters) feeling like crap, but that may be more because he feels bad for his jeep than anything else.

Derek is recruiting werewolves from children who probably need counseling not Derek. Erika and Isaac have made themselves over (with whose money Stiles has no idea), but they’re full-fledged members of Derek’s pack with leather jackets and all.

When Stiles tries to check up on Boyd (Derek’s next pick for his leather jacket gang), Erika bangs him in the head and leaves him in a dumpster. He wakes up smelly and down $1000 and really fucking pissed. Somehow, he’s not in the least bit sore or bruised. Stiles thanks his lucky stars for that at least and gets ready to fork over money to his asshole of a mechanic.

Stiles is disappointed (but not that surprised) when Boyd shows up with a leather jacket the next week.

4.

In the police station with Matt holding them hostage is probably the worst experience of Stiles’s life. He’s been drugged, paralyzed, threatened, stepped on, and Stiles can’t take much more of this. He really fucking can’t.

When Scott finally breaks free from Matt (who’s turning scaly), he moves Stiles into a place where he won’t get shot at by hunters or trampled by various kanimas or werewolves. It doesn’t really make it easier to breathe. Trying to inhale and exhale is a task. Purple spots show up in his vision (like that one time after he got a few teeth pulled and he reacted poorly to the medication they gave him), and he knows he’s going to black out.

His vision fades into black as his struggle to breathe gets harder.

5.

Stiles finds out he’s immortal the night of the big showdown. The night when Kanima & Gerard & Allison versus Scott & Derek & Isaac happens. The night when Stiles acts like a total doucheface to Lydia. The night when he gets beaten up in front of two of his tortured classmates before being escorted out with a not-so-subtle threat against his father if he blabs.

Allison has her crossbow out, and she’s aiming at Scott. Scott, who’s been his best friend since Scott introduced him to curly fries. Scott, who held his hand when his mom died.

So, Stiles does the stupid thing and jumps out in front of his best friend and takes a bolt to the chest. He laughs when he’s on the floor because his mind immediately jumps to taking an arrow to the knee.  The skin around the bolt is sticky (with blood, of course), and Scott’s crouching next to him, mumbling something about not being a hero or something. Stiles feels weird. Really weird. And, then he sees Allison hovering over him, mouthing sorry over and over again.

She pulls the bolt out of his chest, and he shouts in pain. He’s telling her that she should have left it in because now, it can’t keep constant pressure on where he’s bleeding. Stiles is going to die. He’s going to die without ever telling his father the truth. He’s going to die, and his dad’s going to be all alone.

Everyone’s around him, even werewolf Jackson (and when did Jackson become a werewolf, Stiles wonders). Some of them are crying. Some of them aren’t looking at him. Derek’s actually holding his hand. (Well, that’s a new development, Derek touching him without throwing him into a wall or something.)

Stiles dies.

His heart slows. He stops breathing. He’s dead. Like really dead.

And, then twenty minutes later, Stiles wakes up. His heart’s beating again. He’s breathing again. The wound is gone, but his skin is still sticky with the blood.

He wakes up with Derek staring at him and still holding his hand. Jackson and Lydia are nowhere to be seen, and Allison’s father is holding a crying Allison in his arms while Scott is awkwardly patting her back.

Scott turns to stare at him too. And, then they’re all aware that he’s alive.

“What the fuck?!” 

**Author's Note:**

> This is meant to be an AU with Misfits. Stiles gets Nathan's powers (to be immortal), but never really realizes that he is. Also, some events in season 2 have been modified to fit with this storyline. In part 5, Stiles never talks about Gerard because he's focusing in on the fact that he's dying. It's not like it didn't happen, but at that moment, it wasn't important.
> 
> Also, since it literally occurred to me today, here's my tumblr: theta-signa.tumblr.com  
> Talk to me if you'd like to. You know. No pressure.


End file.
